Age Norms, the Timing of Family Role Transitions, and Intergenerational Caregiving Among Aging African American Women

• Published in: The Gerontologist 1996-04, Vol.36 (2), p.199-208
• Main Author: Burton, Linda M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Age; Age norms; Aged; Aging - ethnology; Aging - psychology; Black Family; Black Mothers; Black people; Black Studies; Black Womens Studies; Blacks; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Cultural Traits; Families & family life; Family - ethnology; Family - psychology; Family Environment; Family Role; Family time; Female; Females; Gerontology; Grandmother hood; Humans; Intergenerational caregiving; Intergenerational Relations; Middle Aged; Minority Groups; Mothers; Multigeneration African American families; New England; Norms; Parent Role; Role transitions; Rural Population; Social research; Southwestern United States; Urban Population; Women
• ISSN: 0016-9013; 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/36.2.199

This article reports findings from two exploratory qualitative studies of the relationship between age norms, family role transitions, and the caregiving responsibilities of mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers in multigeneration African American families. Families defined as having ‘normative on-time’ transitions (n = 23) to the roles of mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were compared to families that were classified as having ‘early non-normative’ (n = 18), and ‘early normative’ transitions to the respective roles (n = 20). Results indicate that both the ‘on-time’ and ‘early’ normative transition families had an equitable distribution of caregiving duties for women across generations. In families where the transitions to mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were considered ‘early’ non-normative, the responsibilities for family caregiving were centered in the young great-grandparent generation. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.